Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Tokyo Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Tokyo

🙂 Solo nomad: Sendai is 17.9% cheaper than Tokyo without rent, and 27.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sendai is 29.9% cheaper than Tokyo without rent, and 33.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.48 ¥1,028
$8.43 ¥1,337
-23.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.70 ¥5,507
$47.99 ¥7,614
-27.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.88 ¥775
$5.64 ¥895
-13.48%
Cappuccino
$3.86 ¥613
$3.59 ¥570
7.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ¥246
$1.26 ¥200
23.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ¥116
$0.92 ¥146
-20.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 ¥544
$4.21 ¥668
-18.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 ¥566
$5.34 ¥847
-33.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ¥229
$1.56 ¥247
-7.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 ¥189
$1.53 ¥242
-22.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.82 ¥607
$5.39 ¥855
-29.13%
Eggs
$1.81 ¥286
$2.40 ¥381
-24.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.23 ¥1,623
$16.04 ¥2,545
-36.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.74 ¥1,228
$7.84 ¥1,244
-1.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.74 ¥1,546
$23.04 ¥3,656
-57.73%
Apples (1kg)
$5.36 ¥850
$5.32 ¥844
0.75%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 ¥352
$2.65 ¥421
-16.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.97 ¥789
$5.98 ¥948
-16.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.79 ¥602
$5.90 ¥937
-35.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.54 ¥403
$3.18 ¥504
-20.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 ¥316
$3.40 ¥539
-41.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ¥189
$1.48 ¥235
-19.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥124
$0.94 ¥150
-17.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.96 ¥787
$4.06 ¥644
22.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.69 ¥1,062
$9.23 ¥1,464
-27.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥340
$2.12 ¥337
0.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 ¥437
$2.91 ¥461
-5.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.77 ¥280
$1.41 ¥224
25.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.26 ¥7,657
$84.1 ¥13.3K
-42.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.46 ¥866
$3.37 ¥534
62.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.31 ¥207
$3.03 ¥480
-56.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.79 ¥3,139
$25.85 ¥4,102
-23.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥186
$1.20 ¥190
-2.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K ¥3.3M
$23.6K ¥3.7M
-12.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K ¥4.5M
$17.4K ¥2.8M
62.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$173 ¥27.4K
$166 ¥26.3K
4.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.88 ¥3,631
$25.89 ¥4,107
-11.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.24 ¥4,956
$33.20 ¥5,268
-5.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.0 ¥8,575
$69.7 ¥11.1K
-22.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.79 ¥2,187
$20.71 ¥3,287
-33.41%
Cinema Ticket
$12.29 ¥1,949
$13.42 ¥2,129
-8.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$317 ¥50.4K
$502 ¥79.7K
-36.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,327 ¥1.0M
$15.6K ¥2.5M
-59.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 ¥10.0K
$61.9 ¥9,818
2.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.53 ¥6,272
$40.38 ¥6,407
-2.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$51.1 ¥8,108
$66.3 ¥10.5K
-22.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.3 ¥12.3K
$90.5 ¥14.4K
-14.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 ¥70.2K
$1,124 ¥178.3K
-60.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$325 ¥51.6K
$595 ¥94.4K
-45.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 ¥131.5K
$2,599 ¥412.3K
-68.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$632 ¥100.2K
$1,335 ¥211.8K
-52.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,668 ¥423.3K
$13.2K ¥2.1M
-79.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,410 ¥223.8K
$5,548 ¥880.3K
-74.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sendai
Tokyo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,139 ¥180.7K
$2,666 ¥422.9K
-57.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3
1.72
74.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Sendai: April 13, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: April 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sendai vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities